Flange and rail lubricator



Oct. 23, 1934.

l. L. DUDLEY 1,977,755

FLANGE AND RAIL LUBRICATOR Filed May 8, 1930 Patented Get. 23, 1934 FFME v FLANGE am) aait LUnrcA'roa Ira L. Dudley, Princetom W. Va.,` assigner of `iiellalf to William H. Foster, Princeton, l a.

AlmlieaomnN May s, 1930,` serial No. 450,720 i1 claims` (o1. iai- 3) p My invention relates generally to lubricatingv a web 12. A plurality of bores 13 extend didevices for a railroad track and presents'an magonally through the head 11 vof the rail and proveinent over the device disclosed in my coterminate at the inner or gauge side ball 14 pending application, Serial No. 374,412, filed June thereof. In the inner ends of these bores a plug 28, 1929 oi which this application isin part a l5 is inserted which plug is provided with two 60 continuation. K intersecting bores 16 and 17 respectively. The

The device herein .disclosed is to be applied to bore 17, it will be noted, extends horizontally a railway track for lubricating the gauge side of whereas the bore 16 yis co-axial with the bore the super-elevated rail on curves and for switch 13 of the rail. Adjacent the web 12 of the rail,

lll points and the like. In the operation oi such a pai-r of plates 18 and 19 are disposed on either 65 devices it has been found that a lateral stroke side thereorn and the plate 18 has in its upper obtained from the ange of a traversing vehicle corner a longitudinally extending groove 20 wheel is preferable for the operation of a puinpwhich, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, extends ing device for supplying lubricant in the path of along the juncture oi the head l1 and the ilange 5, a wheel. Exceeding difdculty has heretofore i2 of the rail and thereby forms a longitudinally 70 been experienced in conducting the lubricant to extending duct 2o -at this point. It is to be the appropriate portion oi a vehicle wheel flange noted that the duct 2() extends along and interwhereby it may be subsequently delivered tothe connects the bores 13 which extend diagonally critical point of the railway track. .v through the rail `head 11 as hereinbefore stated.

2Q The object of my invention is to providefa rail-` Afpair of gaskets 21 are disposed on each side oi 75 way track lubricating device which is operated the duct 20 and thereby form a huid-tight conby lateral thrust from the flanges of passing nection between the plate 1S and the rail 10.

vehicle wheels. i V The plate 19 is provided merely for the purpose Another object vof my invention is to provide a oi 'strengthening the rail which function is also rail whereby lubricant may be conducted thereaccomplished bythe companion plate 18. 80

through to the ilange of a vehicle wheel. AAdjacent the opposite rail 22. oi the railway A more specific object oi my invention is kto track and on the inner side thereof is provided provide a method of adapting a rail of Ya railway a resilient cam strip 23 having a portion extrack for use with a lubricating device. tending parallel to the rail 22 and spaced away y3Q A further object of my invention is to provide therefrom' at a distance less than the thickness 85 a method of lubricating a railway track'wherein of the iiange of a railway vehicle wheel. The excess lubricant delivered at one time mayY be ends ofthe strip 23 are bent inwardly away trom subsequently used. the rail as shown at 23e so that a guideway is Other objects of the invention will become formed. between the flared ends 23o and the rail readily apparent to those skilled 'in the art when 22 whereby upon passage of a railway vehicle, 90

- the following description isconsidered in con the nange 24 of the wheel will be directed be- J'llllClSOl With the CCOIIlDaHYIlg drawing Where-'- tween the rai?. 22 and the strip 23 as clearly in like characters of reference denote the same illustrated in Fig. 2 to earn the strip 23 laterally parts and in which: and therebyimpart a pumping stroke through 40 Fig. l is a plan view oi a section of railway a linkage including the lever 25, a rod to 95 track provided with my lubricating device. an arm 27 of a pump disposed within a lubricant Fig. 2 is an end view of the railway trackshown reservoir 28. f The pump which is operated by in Fig. 1 with the Dumping mechanism r1`iS, the arm f2`may be'ofany conventional design operated position. K f which is readily adaptable for the purpose. The Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one oi the rails strip 23 is mounted upon angular brackets 29 .100

Y showing particularly the Varrangement of lubriwhich supported by the ties of the railway cant conducting bores therein.- track and engage the strlp23 at each end there- Fig. 4 is a view in sideelevatio'n of a rail showof. A second bracket 3G is provided adjacent ing the arrangementV of ducts 'for conducting the intermediate portions ci the strip 23 and 1ubriCan1- 'supporte apair of bolts 31.31 which extend 105 Fig. 5 is a modiiication of thedelivering bore through the rail 22' and carry aty their inner as shown in Fig. 3. I ends springs .32 disposed to bias the strip 23 in The reference character 10 denotes one rail a direction toward the rail 22 whereby after the of a railway track which rail isoi the c'onvenpassage oi a vehicle wheel the 4strip 23 will be tional configuration comprising a `head 11 and actuated to its normal position as stated above. 110

It has been found preferable to form the strip 23 so that the length of the parallel portion is greater than the distance between the axes of succeeding wheels in an ordinary truck of railway vehicle so that the pumping operation will be manifested only once for each traversing truck, but it will be readily apparent that the length of such parallel portion may be decreased so that a pumping stroke'is effected each time a wheel passes.

The mouths of the bores 17 lie in the gauge side face of the rail 10 in such position that lubricant emerging therefrom may readily attach itself to the flange of a passing vehicle wheel and be subsequently deposited at critical points in the track to reduce friction between the flange of the wheel and the face of the rail. It will be observed that a pipe 35 is connected to the duct 20 in any desired manner and extends to the reservoir 28 for transmitting viscous lubricant, contained therein, tothe duct 20 and theV bores 13 under the force ofthe pump. The pipe 35 may be duplicated and attached to the Vopposite end of the duct 20 in order to maintain a greater equality of pressure on the lubricant within the duct 20.

On the exposed side of the plate 19 is attached, by welding or in any suitable manner, a trough 33 which extends longitudinally thereof and is disposed to contain a mass of heavy lubricant 34 such as pin grease, retaining the lubricant 311 in the path of the lower portion of a wheel flange and beneath the mouths of bores 17 whereby excess lubricant which has emerged from the bores 17 and which it not taken up by the flange of a passing vehicle wheel may drip down and remain deposited upon the heavylubricant 34.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 a second bore 36 is provided in the rail and extends subshown in Figs. 3 and 5 respectively becomes necessary since if thebores 13 were left open it would be an easy matter for an accumulation of dirt, rain, snow or the like to be deposited therein and Clog the bore 13 whereas the provision of a secondary laterally extending bore such as 17 or 36 precludes the possibility of such an accumulation of obstructing foreign matter.

In the device herein illustrated it is possible to drill the rail 10 whilelplaced in the track without disturbing the track structure or intertering with the traffic which'moves therealong.

Since the bore 13 is drilled from the inner ball 14 downwardly and outwardly, such operation may be accomplished with any ordinary drill and without experiencing the exceeding diihculty which would obviously be encountered if it were attempted to drill the rail l0 in another manner. After the bore 13 has been drilled such a plug as 14 or 37 may be inserted in the end thereof to provide delivering orifices at the desired point' on the inner face of the rail. f From the foregoing description it is believe that those skilled in the art will readily understand my invention but it is to be understood that the structures herein shown and described are merely illustrative and I do not desire to be limited to the specic embodiments herein disclosed since it is apparent that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. An operating mechanism for a lubricating device for a railway track comprising a resilient cam member adjacent a rail of the track, said member having a central portion parallel with said rail, the end portions of said member being bent away from said rail whereby the flange of a passing vehicle wheel is guided between said rail and said centralportion to actuate the central portion laterally, a pump, and a linkage connecting said central portion with said pump.

2. Anoperating member for a railway track lubricating device, having a central portion adjacent to and parallel with a rail of said track, said central portion being movable laterally relative to said rail, and anchored end portions ared away fromsaid rail whereby a vehicle wheel flange is guided between said central portion and said rail.

3. In a lubricating device for a railway track, means for delivering lubricant to the inner face of a rail including a plurality of diagonally up wardly and inwardly extending bores in said rails, plugs inserted in the' upper ends of said bores and secondary bores extending laterally and intersecting said rst mentioned bores whereby the rst mentioned bores are protected from foreign matter.

4. In a lubricating device for a rail of a railwayV track, a rail having a plurality of bores therein, said bores extending from the outer juncture of the rail web and head diagonally upwardly and inwardly, and secondary bores intersecting said first mentioned bores, said secondary bores extending laterally and terminating on the gauge side face of the rail head.

5. In a lubricating device for a railway track the combination with a rail having a plurality of diagonally extending bores through the head thereof, the mouths of said bores lying at the juncture of the rail web and head, of a plate having a longitudinally extending groove, and means for attaching said plate to said rail whereby said groove is disposed adjacent said mouths.

6. In alubricating device for a railway track the combination with ,a rail having a plurality of diagonally extending bores through, the head thereof the mouths of said bores lying at a juncture of the rail web and head, of a conduit interconnecting said mouths comprising, a plate dis` posed 'adjacent said web, and a groove in said plate adjacent said juncture.

7. In a lubricating device for a railway track the combination with a rail having a plurality of diagonally extending bores through the head thereof the mouths of said bores lying at the juncture of the rail weby and head, of a grooved plate bridgingsaid juncture whereby an interconnect- Ving duct is formed between said mouths.

8, vIn a track lubricator, a rail, a plurality of lubricant outlets adjacent the ball of the rail, and a trough containing a quantity-of heavy lubricant in position for contact with a passing wheel flange, said trough being positioned to receive the drippings from said outlets.

9. A device of the kind described comprising in combination a pump, operating means for the pump having a. resilient part extending parallel to a rail and disposed to be moved laterally by bricating device, of operating mechanism therefor comprising, a resilient member having an end anchored at a substantial distance from a. rail, a portion of said member extending parallel to the rail for a distance exceeding the interaxial distance of succeeding Wheels of a railway vehicle truck, said parallel portion 1seing disposed to be moved laterally by a passing Wheel, and thrust transmitting means connected to said member intermediate the ends ofV said parallel portion. 1

IRA L. DUDLEY. 

